Lotus To Cut Potentially 325 Jobs?

[darryl]

I'm not sure the Lotus - DVLA figures are from January Simon, think they are possibly from March so possibly only half year.

 

As Chris states the dealers appear to be getting a fair few through the doors, with Lotus sales management (Scott Walker) very happy with our local dealers selling in good numbers. 

[cjwjames]

For sisysphean sake look and reflect what made YOU buy your lotus if the first place .

[Simon Mac]

For sisysphean sake look and reflect what made YOU buy your lotus if the first place .

 

My first Lotus.. One of the first Exige S's, was a relatively new design at the time, bought from a dealer less than 20 miles away, at a cost of less than half an entry level 911, and from a company that was on the rise globally.

 

Fast forward 10 years and tell me any of those which are true.

 

My current Lotus (an Elise) is 11 years old, bought as a weekend road car I don't mind putting loads of miles on or doing DIY servicing, or thrashing round a track.

 

I could go and buy a new Elise, but at up to £38K what am I actually getting for my money? A heavier car, with ABS, airbags, and a big dollop of depreciation thrown in..  

 

As enthusiasts we are part of the problem.  There is no progression for us, short of the Exige, which at £60k is just too much of a jump. I mean as a group we even value S1s more highly than S2s !!!

 

One thing I'm watching with interest is the Zenos stuff.  I'm half tempted by the E10, but the E11 could very well be my choice of Elise replacement in 2016.

 

http://www.zenoscars.com/zenos-range/e10/e10-prices/e10-launchprices/

 

^  This is exactly the sort of reason I bought a Lotus, I just can't buy it from Lotus any more

On a lighter note  I don't know about you guys, but I'm finding MLOC a veritable feast of education opportunities at the moment, one minute we are looking at number plates showing the molecular formulas for sugar the next we are using words like Sisysphean instead of Impossible.

Bloody brilliant.... I am not sending my kids to school anymore I'm just going to let them look at MLOC all day!

  

 

Glad you liked that one... it's always good to throw into management meetings when you are bored

[Meister]

 

Glad you liked that one... it's always good to throw into management meetings when you are bored

LOL! I certainly will throw that out in the next meeting I have. I need all the help I can get to make me seem far more intelligent than I am!

I too have been following the Zenos project with interest. I met Ansar Ali once when I took my old Caterham into Caterham Midlands and have to say I was rather impressed by him and what he had to say. I have been asked to go and try the Zenos 10 but I am a sucker for an impulse purchase and at the moment my Exige does everything I want. However......when they launch the Zenos 11.............that could be very tempting!!

[Sundaydriver]

85% of cars exported I read.

[Simon Mac]

OK I graphed the UK registration figures (I've crudely extrapolated 2014's using based on 3/4s)  Don't open if you are squeamish.

 

 

So Lotus are now hoping to offset lack of UK sales with loads of cars into foreign markets. Without new products how long before they too become saturated? 

 

Halo cars like an Esprit are all well and good, but where is the volume going to come from ?    Remember which car saved Porsche from the brink.. a clue it wasn't the 911 Turbo, or 959.

 

To me this quote sums it up:

" there is a consumer out there who to all intents and purposes has been left behind,” says Ali.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/zenos-cars-how-build-modern-basic-sports-car

 

 

WE are those consumers!  Happily driving round in our S1s and S2s, there is very little in the product range that would get us out of those cars. 

 

Sure the E10 has the 211 / Caterham market in it's sights, but the E11 really could shake up the market. If they get it right Lotus have until 2016 to do something serious with the Elise, and I'm not talking about a "special limited edition, brown with yellow striped version, commemorating the opening of the new toilet block in Hethel" .

[cjwjames]

85% of cars exported I read.

Not yours though mate lol

[DanP]

There are about 20 million cars on the British roads in total.

Each year in china there are 20 million new cars sold.

I wouldn't worry about lotus sales in the UK as an indicator of lotus' financial health.

[cjwjames]

There are about 20 million cars on the British roads in total.

Each year in china there are 20 million new cars sold.

I wouldn't worry about lotus sales in the UK as an indicator of lotus' financial health.

Well said

[Simon Mac]

There are about 20 million cars on the British roads in total.

Each year in china there are 20 million new cars sold.

I wouldn't worry about lotus sales in the UK as an indicator of lotus' financial health.

 

And c. 14 million sold in the US, which has a better demographic for buying Lotus cars.... Lets ignore the elephant in the room.  

 

Look at the graph not for worldwide figures, but what happens when you let your product stagnate. Lotus claim worldwide sales of c. 500 cars in Q2. They sold almost that many Elises in the UK alone in 2003!  

 

Anyway I've booked a test drive in a Zenos (Silverstone in October) will let you know how it goes, but to me it more embodies the Chapman philosophy.

[Meister]

Simon

( Just a bit of fun - please don't take it personally ) But are you involved in sales in anyway?? The reason I ask, is 4 posts ago you said it was your last comment/post on the subject! All the sales guy's that work for me always use that expression but 5 five minutes later they are talking about it again! LOL!

PS - They also love to use charts an graphs to illustrate a point too!!!

[DanP]

USA s car sales are about what you say, and won't grow so much. European sales are abou t 12 million, and again the market is saturated.

 

China came from 0 to 20 million in a couple of decades. Market is far from saturated (Baring an economic crash). Most sales are for European and NAM vehicles.

 

China is the reason why JLR have overtaken Lexus globally. Maserati are doing really well there. You see/hear them everywhere. Maclaen just set up shop, and their cars are doing well too.

[Simon Mac]

Simon

( Just a bit of fun - please don't take it personally ) But are you involved in sales in anyway?? The reason I ask, is 4 posts ago you said it was your last comment/post on the subject! All the sales guy's that work for me always use that expression but 5 five minutes later they are talking about it again! LOL!

PS - They also love to use charts an graphs to illustrate a point too!!!

 

LOL, no, but I see your point... I will shut up now.....  

 

P.S. Very crafty, I see what you've done .... made me post another point on this topic.

[cjwjames]

LOL, no, but I see your point... I will shut up now.....

 

P.S. Very crafty, I see what you've done .... made me post another point on this topic.

LOL, no, but I see your point... I will shut up now.....

 

P.S. Very crafty, I see what you've done .... made me post another point on this topic.

[cjwjames]

The end ????